Ohio Pro-Information Bill

The main project that the Government Affairs Committee will be taking on in 2014 is to see the passing in Ohio of a Pro-Information bill, patterned after similar bills that have passed in Kentucky and Massachusetts in the last few years. The proposed bill will require health care providers to present parents with up-to-date, evidence-based information about Down syndrome upon the parents receiving a prenatal or postnatal diagnosis. Part of what will be passed onto parents is information on how they can connect to local parent support organizations as well as other local resources that will be available to them.

The reason this bill is so crucial is because many health care providers continue to rely on old information about Down syndrome and are unequipped to appropriately deliver a Down syndrome prenatal or postnatal diagnosis. This is critically important at this time because parents have to face a reality of the diagnosis that they did not expect - nor do they typically understand, while under a great deal of stress.

Almost identical laws were passed in Kentucky and Massachusetts with unanimous, bipartisan support.

UPDATE - THE BILL HAS PASSED!

Programs

The Jane and Richard Thomas Center for Down Syndrome offers an innovative approach to care. We aim to ensure the optimal health, developmental status, social-emotional functioning and adjustment of children with Down syndrome and their families now and in the future. Find out more

The mission of the National Down Syndrome Adoption Network is to ensure that every child with Down syndrome has the opportunity to grow up in a loving family. Find out more

The mission of the National Down Syndrome Society is to be the national advocate for the value, acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome. Find out more